Preview — Night Rising by Chris Marie Green

In this first book of an all-new trilogy, life proves stranger than the movies when a Hollywood underground coven of vampires comes to light-and gets targeted by the tough-as-nails daughter of a sexy screen siren.

Stuntwoman Dawn Madison hasn't been on the best of terms with her father since her movie star mother died. Still, he is her dad, and when he vanishes while inveIn this first book of an all-new trilogy, life proves stranger than the movies when a Hollywood underground coven of vampires comes to light-and gets targeted by the tough-as-nails daughter of a sexy screen siren.

Stuntwoman Dawn Madison hasn't been on the best of terms with her father since her movie star mother died. Still, he is her dad, and when he vanishes while investigating the bizarre sighting-caught on film-of a supposedly long-dead child star, she comes home to Tinseltown to join the search for him. Working with his odd colleagues, she discovers an erotic and bloody underground society made up of creatures she thought existed only on the screen.

I'm having a hard time formulating my thoughts on this book. I did like it and will read the next one, but there was just something off about the whole thing. Maybe because there were a bunch of loose ends at the end of the book than was necessary, but who knows. I didn't get the whole promiscuous thing, mostly because it didn't feel like it belonged in the book and really came out of nowhere; it felt like it was added for the whole "sex sells" concept. I mean that thing with "the Voice" was jusI'm having a hard time formulating my thoughts on this book. I did like it and will read the next one, but there was just something off about the whole thing. Maybe because there were a bunch of loose ends at the end of the book than was necessary, but who knows. I didn't get the whole promiscuous thing, mostly because it didn't feel like it belonged in the book and really came out of nowhere; it felt like it was added for the whole "sex sells" concept. I mean that thing with "the Voice" was just plain weird and creepy. Quite few times I thought Dawn needed to get over herself and quit whining about her mother. She's twenty-four, she needs to act like it, not like some angsty teenager. I get it - it's hard to grow up with a beautiful mother who died too young and being compared to her when you're only average looking is hard (Although the cover model is above average looking. Marketing? I think so. :P), but deal with it already. I really didn't care about her and thought overall that Kiko was the best character of the bunch. Hopefully in the next book they are all developed better and Dawn grows up.

You can tell the author has taken some things from other medias: The Crow, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, especially with Dawn being the "key" and probably from other things I haven't seen or read so can't compare. I think that detracted from the book because I don't want to compare the stories; I'd rather the book stood alone as it is.

Nearer the end it had me wondering about a certain character and if that was a hint to what's to come in future books. That's probably the main reason I'll read on, although there are some interesting concepts in the book too. The most interesting is the the vampire world, in which there are some varying degrees of good and evil - like humans - and they're just trying to survive without being found out - at least that's how I took it. All in all it was a decent read, but just an average urban fantasy book.2.5 stars...more

ElaineI'm on page 214, and have no idea if I even like what I'm reading. I don't find Dawn very likeable. She's kind of self centered and a brat. The characI'm on page 214, and have no idea if I even like what I'm reading. I don't find Dawn very likeable. She's kind of self centered and a brat. The character of The Voice is supposed to be mysterious, but he really isnt. Clearly he's a supernatural, possibly a vamp himself. I will struggle along....more
Dec 30, 2013 08:44PM

I was completely unprepared for the decent quality of this story. Definitely not like most of the vampire oriented para’s I’ve read lately! A funky, gritty paranormal LA mystery, this story kicks off a great new and refreshingly different series which this reader fully intends to complete!

Oh, did I not like this book. The main character comes across as a humorless, nymphomaniac version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer who, upon meeting one of her future allies for the first time, drops into a martial arts stand for no reason. Even a sarcastic sense of humor would have benefited this book more than the nonexistent one. So, you go through 300 pages or so of an unlikeable protagonist who's destiny is to do something neat, but she's remarkably slow to pick up on obvious clues while at theOh, did I not like this book. The main character comes across as a humorless, nymphomaniac version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer who, upon meeting one of her future allies for the first time, drops into a martial arts stand for no reason. Even a sarcastic sense of humor would have benefited this book more than the nonexistent one. So, you go through 300 pages or so of an unlikeable protagonist who's destiny is to do something neat, but she's remarkably slow to pick up on obvious clues while at the end she picks up on what may be a major one for the next book in the series for no real reason whatsoever. She hates her father! She loves her father! She hates her mother who died when she was a month old! No, she thinks fondly of a woman she didn't really know! No, wait, she resents being a sex-symbol's daughter! No, she just wants sex! All the time! Bah. A couple plot points are left unresolved to get readers to move on in an obvious series, but I couldn't be bothered, even if the grammar teacher I am wasn't screaming inside due to all the sentence fragments.

Late in the narrative, the hero wonders to herself what the hell's going on. Literally. Twenty or so pages later, she thinks how nothing is making sense. You know what? She wasn't the only one thinking that. I will not be proceeding with this series....more

Dawn Madison is a stuntwoman laying low after a humiliating “incident” on the job. When she is contacted with the news that her father, Frank, has gone missing while investigating the sighting of a child actor that was supposed to be dead, she is drawn into a supernatural world she never knew existed.

Night Rising is just a fun, sexy ride of a novel. Dawn is tough and resilient, yes, but she’s also broken, and feels lik4.5 stars

Dawn Madison is a stuntwoman laying low after a humiliating “incident” on the job. When she is contacted with the news that her father, Frank, has gone missing while investigating the sighting of a child actor that was supposed to be dead, she is drawn into a supernatural world she never knew existed.

Night Rising is just a fun, sexy ride of a novel. Dawn is tough and resilient, yes, but she’s also broken, and feels like she is constantly in the shadow of her sex symbol mother, who died when she was young. She teams up with Breisi, a beautiful techno geek(with a penchant for rather tacky teddy bear t-shirts) and Kiko, a short, sweet, and psychic actor, to find her father and solve the mystery of the supposedly dead child star.

Then there’s The Voice, Breisi and Kiko’s Charlie’s Angelesque boss, supposedly a talented hypnotist and a shut-in. Dawn never sees him, but she most certainly feels him, which serves as a nearly constant distraction for Dawn. How Ms. Green managed to make a disembodied voice sexy, I don’t know, but she did!

I liked Dawn. A lot. She grew on me more and more as the novel progressed. She uses sex as a balm, and as a way to escape from herself. She’s terrified of getting close to others and suffers from a near constant jealousy of the legendary beauty that her mother was in life. These weaknesses were what I liked most about her, because we all have insecurities, some more than others, and this vulnerability made me identify with her all the more.

Night Rising alternates between looking over Dawn’s shoulder in third person POV and taking us Underground, where a race of vampires hold the key to this mystery, and an aging Master and his second in command are trying to hold together the secret of their existence. Ms. Green did a great job at conveying the sensuality of the vamp race without resulting to gratuitous scenes, and I really enjoyed her rather fun and unique hierarchy within the vamp Underground, not to mention the different kinds of vamps that make up the vampire race, some of which are super nasty; the barbed tails and sharp silver teeth kind of nasty! The author’s writing style is smooth, and easy to keep up with, and she doesn’t clutter things up with info overload, rather weaving in details throughout the novel, keeping you reading and wanting to learn more about her quirky (and lovable) cast of characters.

A more perfect, and rich, backdrop could not have been found for this book, and Ms. Green mines it for all it’s worth! Hollywood glamour and the trappings of celebrity highlight the dark secrets that lurk just beneath the surface. Just when I’d had enough of vampires and didn’t think there was anything original left, I discovered Night Rising, and I’m so glad I did! I’m actually happy that I didn’t read this when it first came out, in 2007, because now there are five more books in the series, and I don’t have to wait to read them! I’m looking forward to learning more about Dawn’s past, not to mention getting more of Kiko, Breisi, and of course, The Voice!...more

Synopsis: Stuntwoman Dawn Madison hasn't been on the best of terms with her father since her movie star mother died. (or did she?) Still, Frank is her dad, and when he vanishes while investigating the bizarre sighting of a supposedly long-dead child star Robby Pennybaker, she comes home to Tinseltown to join the search for him.

Working with his odd colleagues at Limpet & Associates, she discovers an erotic and bloody underground society made up of creatures she thought existed only on the scSynopsis: Stuntwoman Dawn Madison hasn't been on the best of terms with her father since her movie star mother died. (or did she?) Still, Frank is her dad, and when he vanishes while investigating the bizarre sighting of a supposedly long-dead child star Robby Pennybaker, she comes home to Tinseltown to join the search for him.

Working with his odd colleagues at Limpet & Associates, she discovers an erotic and bloody underground society made up of creatures she thought existed only on the screen.

Assisted by a psycho midget, Kiko Daniels, and a gorgeous tech guru, Breisi Montoya, Dawn begins to the hunt for Frank. This Hollywood is full of vampires who have undergone plastic surgery to maintain their youthful existence. Including, her own mother. These vampires hide underground, while slowly building an army.

You will have lots of questions about the mysterious Limpet, and why they can only hear his voice. And, why there are these mysterious paintings hanging on the walls that appear to come alive. We learn about the Underground through the eyes of the son of its creator and master vampire, Sorin, and the legendary Hollywood Eva Claremont.

I would recommend that if you read this book, you read the next 2 in series for they all tie in together.

I'm feeling really, really generous as I write this review, so I am giving this book two stars.I will skip the plot recap because it was wierd, but not in an interesting way, and I'm not really sure what the point was.Essentially, the main character is a stunt woman who returns to Hollywood to search for her missing alcoholic father with the help of his former PI coworkers. The catch is that the PI form he worked for specializes in paranormal investigations and it looks like her father made haveI'm feeling really, really generous as I write this review, so I am giving this book two stars.I will skip the plot recap because it was wierd, but not in an interesting way, and I'm not really sure what the point was.Essentially, the main character is a stunt woman who returns to Hollywood to search for her missing alcoholic father with the help of his former PI coworkers. The catch is that the PI form he worked for specializes in paranormal investigations and it looks like her father made have been made vampire.The heroine has some strange sexual comulsion which makes her want to pick up skeezy guys in bars for meaningless sex and soon after the start of the book, she begins an intangible affair with her "ghostly" new employer. Confused yet?I really didn't care for this book. The characters were weak and boring, the plot went nowhere, and I really had no interest in the main character.I say skip it unless you have nothing else better to read....more

After reading several vampire series lately I found this book and the follow up lacking. The author is very simple with her plot and the overall building of the vampire culture within her book. I mean she calls the vampires home underground "The Underground" and that they go "Above" when dealing with humans. The lower vampires are Servants and Groupies - how origional!! The author also can't seem to decide if she is writing PG-13 or R. I think this author needs to read the Twilight Series of BlaAfter reading several vampire series lately I found this book and the follow up lacking. The author is very simple with her plot and the overall building of the vampire culture within her book. I mean she calls the vampires home underground "The Underground" and that they go "Above" when dealing with humans. The lower vampires are Servants and Groupies - how origional!! The author also can't seem to decide if she is writing PG-13 or R. I think this author needs to read the Twilight Series of Black Dagger Brotherhood Series to see how an author should write about vampires. I found this book lacking in imagination and origionality. ...more

Cool book! The vampire myth is taken to a completely different level in this book, and we're thrown deep into the underbelly of Hollywood and the many secrets that exist there. It was amazing! And there are so many wonderful and intriguing characters. One of which is Frank - the father that has gone missing.

Dawn is an excellent, real character with an attitude to boot. I knew I'd like her because Chris writes fantastic heroines. But don't get me wrong, even the secondary characters are interestCool book! The vampire myth is taken to a completely different level in this book, and we're thrown deep into the underbelly of Hollywood and the many secrets that exist there. It was amazing! And there are so many wonderful and intriguing characters. One of which is Frank - the father that has gone missing.

Dawn is an excellent, real character with an attitude to boot. I knew I'd like her because Chris writes fantastic heroines. But don't get me wrong, even the secondary characters are interesting - from the smart-mouthed Kiko, to the harsh Breisi, and the mysterious Voice. Not to forget Matt, either.

This was an interesting book to read, I wasn't sure at first as the beginning seemed a little confusing and slow but that soon changed. I liked the vampire version of 'Charlie' from 'Charlie's Angels' - interesting twist that he's got a thing for Dawn and the same goes for her. Sex, lust and celebrates that want to live forever ... lost of twists and turns!

Its definitely a worth while read, with lost of action, adventure and the occasion sexual scene!

Probably really a 4 star, but I'm finally a little burned out on urban fantasy. It was quite a good book. The characters are different (a stunt woman, little person/actor and telenova star/science geek, plus a mysterious employer) and the vamps and creepies have an original concept. Leaves a lot of questions to be solved in the next books.

I know when I read this several years ago I liked it butnow I can't imagine why. the plot is disgustingly predictable. the story felt like it started in the middle and was a little confusing which isn't a great start. then like ten pages in we have a mind rape which is never a joy and also didn't seem to serve any plot purpose at all making it even more atrocious. the writing wasn't awful but I did find myself skimming out of boredom even during the vamp attack. also the heroine has some seriousI know when I read this several years ago I liked it butnow I can't imagine why. the plot is disgustingly predictable. the story felt like it started in the middle and was a little confusing which isn't a great start. then like ten pages in we have a mind rape which is never a joy and also didn't seem to serve any plot purpose at all making it even more atrocious. the writing wasn't awful but I did find myself skimming out of boredom even during the vamp attack. also the heroine has some serious issues..like way more than I can get over and still find her appealing as a character. she has mommy issues which isn't insurmountable but when she gets ready to seduce a guy just because she *thinks* he's comparing her to her mom I quit there. dnf...more

I wish I could give this book 3 stars. The idea the story is built on is a lot of fun, and despite uneven characterizations, Kiko is an intriguing character.

Unfortunately, among other problems, the main character is unlikable. The ways the author tried to show us how damaged she is, at times made it seem like she had borderline personality disorder - asking questions as if someone had asked (I didn't) then answering them in defensive, hateful ways. At times, it was just absurd - SHE had to tellI wish I could give this book 3 stars. The idea the story is built on is a lot of fun, and despite uneven characterizations, Kiko is an intriguing character.

Unfortunately, among other problems, the main character is unlikable. The ways the author tried to show us how damaged she is, at times made it seem like she had borderline personality disorder - asking questions as if someone had asked (I didn't) then answering them in defensive, hateful ways. At times, it was just absurd - SHE had to tell the two seasoned vampire slaying detectives how to dress for a goth bar? Uh, I think not, and though this was probably just sloppy writing, it made her seem wildly arrogant.

However, the real problem with this book is that it seems like the author had an idea for kind of a Vampire "One for the Money" with fewer stereotypes - not great literature, but a ton of fun - but decided to make it into a porno. I mean...what the HECK? This book got super porny in spots, and these sections were the most carefully written parts of the book. It was a shame. And given that part of the plotline belongs to a survivor of child sexual abuse, uh, no...just no.

Seriously, take out the porni-ness, put that effort into cleaning up characterization, and this could have been quite a thrilling ride, but as it is, I cannot recommend this book...to anyone. ...more

I was given this as a book to read so here is my impressions of this book. I'm going to read the whole series because I liked the mystery and the story . there were alot of things that were not answered in the first book or I couldn't figure out and I liked that I like knowing I have too keep reading to find out those things so yes I did like this book alot and I say listen to it then keep in mind you'll have to read the next books to get some of those answers and yes I'm read book two so I'm geI was given this as a book to read so here is my impressions of this book. I'm going to read the whole series because I liked the mystery and the story . there were alot of things that were not answered in the first book or I couldn't figure out and I liked that I like knowing I have too keep reading to find out those things so yes I did like this book alot and I say listen to it then keep in mind you'll have to read the next books to get some of those answers and yes I'm read book two so I'm getting some of those answers now. great job I think in holding the mystery of the story....more

I won this book and the two books that follow it during blogfest, so I have been very excited to getting around to reading it. I mean what's better than a great Vampire story and especially when you got it for free? I have to say I was HUGELY disappointed. To say that this story underwhelmed me would be generous. In fact, I even texted my bff halfway through and told her I was still waiting for the story to start.

So my first problem with this book was that it tried too hard. In an attempt to setI won this book and the two books that follow it during blogfest, so I have been very excited to getting around to reading it. I mean what's better than a great Vampire story and especially when you got it for free? I have to say I was HUGELY disappointed. To say that this story underwhelmed me would be generous. In fact, I even texted my bff halfway through and told her I was still waiting for the story to start.

So my first problem with this book was that it tried too hard. In an attempt to set up this tough, over-the-top, nitty-gritty world, I felt the author went too "over-the-top" herself. Things just felt forced and too much. The descriptions were rough, everything was uber this, that, or the other, and it just created an environment that one could not relate to. The heroine of the story was less than desirable as well. In trying to create a tough hardened character, she instead came off as uncaring and unbelievable over sexed. I mean give me a break, you could blow a breath on the girl and she would orgasm. She was portrayed as a woman who couldn't function unless she had some form of regular sexual release. Ironically, she never "got it on" with a real solid person in the book, instead being regularly ravished by "the voice" with mental ecstasy.

The story was just back and forth all over the place, feeling like nothing was ever happening or getting resolved, and while things did eventually build to a somewhat climatic ending, the answers you were waiting for were never provided, characters were never revealed, and there was no resolution what-so-ever. Even the vampire community itself was so confusing as to be mind boggling, trying to keep up with different classes of vampires and who was feeding on who. It made absolutely no sense to me, being very hard to follow.

I'm actually going to be pretty kind on my rating for this one, because at occasional moments here and there, the story showed sparks of promise, and I just hate not being able to love a book when I know someone has put their time and effort into it. But this story, while it may appeal to some, was not for me. Too bad, because writing this review almost killed me. I hate being negative!...more

The other one and two star reviews hit the nail on the head. There are so many things wrong with this book that I had to give it a one star rating even though I finished it and enjoyed a bit of the beginning. First, the heroine. As others have said she is not very likable, she's a bit slutty, and she is very hard to relate to. She is forced to investigate the disappearance of her father after being summoned by a investigative agency. I say forced because I don't believe that she actually wants tThe other one and two star reviews hit the nail on the head. There are so many things wrong with this book that I had to give it a one star rating even though I finished it and enjoyed a bit of the beginning. First, the heroine. As others have said she is not very likable, she's a bit slutty, and she is very hard to relate to. She is forced to investigate the disappearance of her father after being summoned by a investigative agency. I say forced because I don't believe that she actually wants to find her father. They weren't close, she rarely demands answers from the PIs that are strangers to her, and lets the investigation go off on long tangents without wondering about her father at all. The flashbacks to memories with her father didn't feel heartfelt, and I didn't believe she cared for a second. At least she isn't super tough and strong like other heroines, but unlike many other UF leads she is very hard to relate to and is plain unlikable.

My second issue was the vampires and the "voice." The characters take their directions from a boss they have never met, who is probably a vampire. They trust the "voice" though they have no reason to. He is not really forthcoming with information, yet all of the characters, our heroine included, believe everything he says. The chapters from the viewpoint of the underground vampire society are boring and don't add much to the plot. The baddies are stereotypical and flat and remind me of the lessers from the Black Dagger Brotherhood books.

I arrived at a point fairly early in the book where the dialogue bothered me, the characters irritated me, and the plot failed to keep my attention. I continued because I wanted to know what happened to the heroine's father, and I wanted to know more about the mysterious voice. Now I feel like I wasted a few hours of my time. I wouldn't recommend this book to urban fantasy fans. The story is not cohesive, the characters are irritating and flat, the mystery is not exciting, and some events are just plain weird. ...more

WARNINGS: Just a few precautions to anyone who may want to read the book: There is cussing through out the book. There are a few..sex? (read the book and you'll understand the question mark) scenes in the book, but they aren't that bad, in my opinion of course.

There was one thing that I absolutely loved about this book: the tone changed from serious, funny, sarcastic, happy, sad, whatever, but you get my point. The book didn't seem...hmm...monotone during the course of the book. It was alive witWARNINGS: Just a few precautions to anyone who may want to read the book: There is cussing through out the book. There are a few..sex? (read the book and you'll understand the question mark) scenes in the book, but they aren't that bad, in my opinion of course.

There was one thing that I absolutely loved about this book: the tone changed from serious, funny, sarcastic, happy, sad, whatever, but you get my point. The book didn't seem...hmm...monotone during the course of the book. It was alive with emotion in the words, even it wasn't dialog, it was there. And I loved it.

Dawn reminds me a little bit about myself. Bad relationships with our fathers even though we love them to death and want to fix the problems. We both try to compete with a family member, for her it was her dead mother. Dawn is tough and can handle herself. She doesn't like having to have someone help her. I really liked Dawn and liked being about to connect with her.

I liked how you, in some tiny or huge way, could connect with any of the characters. I liked how every character stood out and apart from everyone else; no one was the same. I didn't like however that the one incident in the end of the book made me wonder *^(%)$)# (you can't see because of a possible spoiler and you would probably be confused) and then it ended a few pages later and I don't know if my suspicions are correct!

One last thing that I liked was that the vampires were pretty much traditional vampires. They didn't come out in daylight, etc. And that was actually new to me and I liked it a lot.

Addict's Last Words: Night Rising is a very good book and I think many of you will enjoy it. I can't wait to read the next one....more

Dawn Madison is a stuntwoman who has returned to LA to find her estranged father, a PI who went missing. In order to do so, she teams up with his firm, Limpet & Associates. In doing so she finds out that there is a whole other part to LA, one filled up with vampires, psychics and invisible forces. Dawn must learn to navigate this new world if she is to find her father in time.

Author Chris Marie Green has created a very confusing book. The bones of this story are very good. Our angry heroineDawn Madison is a stuntwoman who has returned to LA to find her estranged father, a PI who went missing. In order to do so, she teams up with his firm, Limpet & Associates. In doing so she finds out that there is a whole other part to LA, one filled up with vampires, psychics and invisible forces. Dawn must learn to navigate this new world if she is to find her father in time.

Author Chris Marie Green has created a very confusing book. The bones of this story are very good. Our angry heroine who is the less beautiful daughter of a famous, and tragically dead, Hollywood starlet. There is a very interesting (and someone unique) system of vampire creation. The boss of Limpet and Associate is a very mysterious voice who can do amazing things. I particularly like the three portraits that could act as guardians.

The problem is how Green brings all these individual details together. There is something missing. Maybe it is because the author has a very sparse style. Which can be nice, because it leaves a lot to the imagination, but it is also troublesome because you don't have all the details. Maybe it is because she leaves so many questions unanswered, clearly setting up for the next book. The problem with that is there are story threads started that she doesn't finish. Maybe the problem is her story telling speed. Dawn just meets the mysterious boss, and the two are doing it before the end of the book.

Overall the book felt rushed, like the author was running us from exciting moment to exciting moment, in order to get all her great ideas into the book. In doing so, she left out the gentler story telling bits that usually weave the exciting bits together. Had she chosen to do less this book or been given another hundred pages, she would have had a much stronger book,...more

Great plot, Multiple Mysteries, Bizarre & Endearing Characters, Relevant to Current Hollywood Stereotypes/Lifestyles and Intriguing World - Worth Reading...But...I gave this book four stars because it was difficult to get through the first 60 or 70 pages (which is less pages than any Anne Rice book where you have to get through at least the first 150 pages):O). The author spends a lot of time on 'world building' in the beginning - it is always necessary to give the reader some background andGreat plot, Multiple Mysteries, Bizarre & Endearing Characters, Relevant to Current Hollywood Stereotypes/Lifestyles and Intriguing World - Worth Reading...But...I gave this book four stars because it was difficult to get through the first 60 or 70 pages (which is less pages than any Anne Rice book where you have to get through at least the first 150 pages):O). The author spends a lot of time on 'world building' in the beginning - it is always necessary to give the reader some background and understanding of the world in which the story takes place (especially when the book is meant to be part of a series as this one is) - but in this book the author spend too much time up front on descriptions and has a weak voice at the start. However and this is a BIG however - the story and world itself are quite intriguing which is what kept me reading. I started and stopped reading it several times in the week after I bought it - but finally said to myself "okay, just sit down and read to the midway point (page-wise) of the book and if you still don't like it give up and give it away". With that said I sat down and ending up reading the entire book in 1 DAY! After getting past those pages it was great. I couldn't put it down (which my Hubby was none-to happy about). One other thing that irked me about it was that the end is something of a cliff-hanger. Of course with almost any book that is predetermined to be part of a series there is always something left unfinished but in this case there were to many things left unresolved.

I am not usually interested in reading stories from a Vampire Hunter point of view - because I Love Vampires - but it was a good book overall and leaves you not quite certain whether it is about Vampires vs. Hunters or a Vampire vs. Vampire War. So I will keep reading the series for now - meaning I will read the next on and if it doesn't blow my mind I won't keeping reading the series - if it does and/or explains who at least some of the major players really are then I will keep reading the series. Read it and you will see what I mean....more

I didn't get very far with this book so I'll cut to the chase of why I didn't like it.Our heroine Dawn is looking for her missing father who has been working with a paranormal agency. So she is summoned by the agency boss who has some questions for her and the interview begins with him subduing her and looking into her mind by sexually assaulting her with his mind powers.We get a lovely description of how horny she is getting while he quizzes her and then when The Voice with no body has had hisI didn't get very far with this book so I'll cut to the chase of why I didn't like it.Our heroine Dawn is looking for her missing father who has been working with a paranormal agency. So she is summoned by the agency boss who has some questions for her and the interview begins with him subduing her and looking into her mind by sexually assaulting her with his mind powers.We get a lovely description of how horny she is getting while he quizzes her and then when The Voice with no body has had his fun,Dawn seems happy to be going with the rest of the agency team on their next assignment.

Are you kidding me??? Some hidden guy uses mind control to screw with you in more ways than one and you just hang out with his minions for the day? Oh get real, I'd have been on the next flight home at the very least. When you sit and snort at your book in disbelief and annoyance, you know that you aren't going to get much further with it. Dawn was annoying from the start and should have been demanding answers about her father instead on joining the team on assignment. And both team members were rude, unpleasant and unlikable so you could say that this book had nothing going for it from page one!...more

This book does not disappoint—it is a page turner from page 1. Those of you that like reading stories on Vampires this series is for you. The first book introduces us to Dawn Madison, who has returned to Los Angeles, CA to help find her missing father—Frank Madison—nobody knows what happened to Frank and have not been able to locate him. This first book also introduces us to the Underground—the world of vampires—what goes on in their world below LA. As Dawn, Breisi, and Kiko (a psychic) start loThis book does not disappoint—it is a page turner from page 1. Those of you that like reading stories on Vampires this series is for you. The first book introduces us to Dawn Madison, who has returned to Los Angeles, CA to help find her missing father—Frank Madison—nobody knows what happened to Frank and have not been able to locate him. This first book also introduces us to the Underground—the world of vampires—what goes on in their world below LA. As Dawn, Breisi, and Kiko (a psychic) start looking for Frank, they come across the guardians—a hybrid breed of vampires—their only task is to protect the underground from being discovered—a confrontation between them and the Paranormal Investigation team from Limpet and Associates leaves Dawn and her colleagues—Breisi and Kiko injured and no closer to finding Frank than they were when Dawn first returned to LA. This is a must read for those of us that are drawn to the world of Vampires—this gives you a peek into the underground world of the vampire world. I am looking forward to reading the remaining five books in this series to see how everything turns out—see if Dawn will be able to find her missing father, Frank before it is too late. This first book keeps the reader intrigued and wondering what is going to happen next. It keeps you on the edge of your seat....more

This series opens up with a mystery. Dawn Madison (former stuntwoman) returns to L.A. because the firm her father Frank works for (Limpet & Associates, a P.I. firm) has contacted her about her father's disappearance. He has been missing for over a week and Dawn decides to temporarily join up with Limpet & Associates to find him. She meets a techno-geek/weapons enthusiast named Breisi (pronounced Breezy) Montoya and a "little person" named Kiko Daniels who is an aspiring actor. Dawn meetsThis series opens up with a mystery. Dawn Madison (former stuntwoman) returns to L.A. because the firm her father Frank works for (Limpet & Associates, a P.I. firm) has contacted her about her father's disappearance. He has been missing for over a week and Dawn decides to temporarily join up with Limpet & Associates to find him. She meets a techno-geek/weapons enthusiast named Breisi (pronounced Breezy) Montoya and a "little person" named Kiko Daniels who is an aspiring actor. Dawn meets her new boss "The Voice aka Jonah Limpet" the first night through a TV screen. She never sees his face, it's kinda Charlie's Angels. As they start following leads you learn about her movie star mother's apparent murder when Dawn was one month old. You also meet a new P.I. from a competing firm named Matt Lonigan who is also looking for Frank. There are so many strange events that occur that I couldn't even begin to review them all here. Dawn and her partners are investigating Frank's leads, this leads to the "Underground" where a group of strange vampires live. There is the Master, Dr. Eternity, his second in command, Sorin, and then there are three other types. There are the Elites who are usually former Hollywood stars that want another chance at stardom and don't want to grow old. There are the Groupies that serve the Elites, both sexually and with blood. Then there are the mindless Guards with iron fangs and extremely scalding saliva that they spit out. And finally, there are the human Servants who serve the Master "Above". It's definitely a lot to pick up in a first book, but there are also several things that I will have to continue reading to find out....more

This book is about 24 year old, stuntwoman Dawn Madison who returns to the Hollywood town she grew up in to find her missing father. In order to do so she teams up with her father's co-workers at the PI agency where he had been employed. Only it turns out that this PI agency deals in the supernatural, a world that Dawn never knew existed. There is Kiko,a little person with psychic abilities and aspirations to become a movie star, and Breisi, a techno geek and former telenovela star who has agedThis book is about 24 year old, stuntwoman Dawn Madison who returns to the Hollywood town she grew up in to find her missing father. In order to do so she teams up with her father's co-workers at the PI agency where he had been employed. Only it turns out that this PI agency deals in the supernatural, a world that Dawn never knew existed. There is Kiko,a little person with psychic abilities and aspirations to become a movie star, and Breisi, a techno geek and former telenovela star who has aged out of stardom at the ripe age of 31. Oh, and there's the boss or, as Dawn likes to call him, The Voice. The boss is never seen by anyone so think of this as a supernatural version of Charlie's Angels.

This is okay as a first book. The characters are likeable enough and the world of the vampires in the Underground provides an interesting angle though I suspect that future books will reveal more. As it stands by the end of this book I'm not entirely sure why the vampires' plans pose any real threat to the human world. The Boss/Voice is another mystery that remains by the end of this book. I'm curious to know just what and who he is. It should also be noted that Dawn uses sex as a way to unwind from a hard day, and since joining up in the search for her father she's having more hard days than usual. That said, there is not really a whole lot of sex in this book. There is however the rather interesting way that The Voice um...reaches out to Dawn.

All in all it's not a great book but it's not bad as far as first books go. It's not told in first person POV, which is not what I'm used to reading in UF these days so that took some adjusting on my part at first. I liked it enough to move on to the second book if for no other reason than I want to see if we ever get to meet The Voice in person...or whatever he is....more

Dawn Madison is a tough stuntwoman and the daughter of a famously beautiful (and famously dead) movie star mother. She comes back to LA from a location shoot when her estranged father disappears. She hooks up with his P.I. associates on the case: a psychic-slash-actor little person; a former telenovela starlet/'tech geek' (it's a rule--every series must have a 'tech geek'); and their boss, a mysterious, disembodied Charlie's Angels-style Voice. Together, they fight vampires!

The plot is weak at pDawn Madison is a tough stuntwoman and the daughter of a famously beautiful (and famously dead) movie star mother. She comes back to LA from a location shoot when her estranged father disappears. She hooks up with his P.I. associates on the case: a psychic-slash-actor little person; a former telenovela starlet/'tech geek' (it's a rule--every series must have a 'tech geek'); and their boss, a mysterious, disembodied Charlie's Angels-style Voice. Together, they fight vampires!

The plot is weak at points--it involves a dead child star suddenly appearing on a few frames of film (à la the Three Men and a Baby ghost) and a secret underground world of vampires--and it feels derivative in a few places. There's also some random erotica-esque stuff that seemed to come out of nowhere. But honestly? I found myself having so much fun I didn't care.

Youth-obsessed Hollywood and eternally young vampires? Two great tastes that taste great together! There's young, beautiful humans who desperately want to stay that way, and a decrepit old master vampire who loves the movies and likes to watch Alias reruns. And sometimes, if there's a chance for an audition, well, hunting vampires will just have to wait....more

WOOF! This was a pretty exciting start of a series and I highly look forward to reading the rest of it.

That said, it took me a bit to like the main character, Dawn. Her daddy and mommy issues bugged me at first, but I realized I couldn't really hold that against her and I moved on. Glad I did.

The premise of the story, especially the vampire lore, was unique. It's part of why I love reading paranormal/supernatural books. Each one has a new bead on the lore.

The grit and grime of Hollywood addedWOOF! This was a pretty exciting start of a series and I highly look forward to reading the rest of it.

That said, it took me a bit to like the main character, Dawn. Her daddy and mommy issues bugged me at first, but I realized I couldn't really hold that against her and I moved on. Glad I did.

The premise of the story, especially the vampire lore, was unique. It's part of why I love reading paranormal/supernatural books. Each one has a new bead on the lore.

The grit and grime of Hollywood added to the story. Everyone seemingly wanting to stay in the spotlight, remain desirable by the public and what they are willing to do to obtain it.

I don't typically dig on erotica/romance in my paranormal and I had to get past my *er* factor, but they are well written scenes and the action was more on the street (or under them) than between the sheets, so I was fine.

Favorite character had to be Kiko, one of the investigators at Limpet & Associates. My favorite kind, Smartass funny.

KayeI have this book on my to be read shelf (way to many books, not enough hours in the day to read them all) I might give this series a start soon sinceI have this book on my to be read shelf (way to many books, not enough hours in the day to read them all) I might give this series a start soon since you have recommended it!...more
Jul 28, 2011 07:53PM

I bought this book off amazon based on the blurb and my expectations weren't that high. I was looking for a fun read and I liked the idea of a stunt-woman heroine, so I was midling hopeful that I'd enjoy the book.

And wow, was I disappointed. The first few pages in and I wanted the author to get her narratorial voice sorted out. She doesn't distinguish clearly between Dawn (or any other character's thoughts) and the general omnipotent narrator. Powering through that, and there were some potentialI bought this book off amazon based on the blurb and my expectations weren't that high. I was looking for a fun read and I liked the idea of a stunt-woman heroine, so I was midling hopeful that I'd enjoy the book.

And wow, was I disappointed. The first few pages in and I wanted the author to get her narratorial voice sorted out. She doesn't distinguish clearly between Dawn (or any other character's thoughts) and the general omnipotent narrator. Powering through that, and there were some potentially interesting characters, but they were let down by bad writing.

That's the thing, this book reads like badfic. Everything is expositioned, too many things happen with no sense of flow and often, no reason that's not as obvious as The Author Wanted A Sex Scene, The Author Wanted To Say This Statement, The Author...

Dawn is anguished. We hear this a lot. Many are her issues and it's not that these aren't shown, but then they're also explained right after.As an example?Dawn gave up. "Kik, she's a starlet. They're here today, gone yesterday. What's the use?"

Even as she said it, she knew she was being too harsh. But excuses were so much easier than getting down to the truth: the anguish of knowing that her mother had been one of them. The fact that the gorgeous masses, like Eva, made life hard for the average girl in America by creating an impossible standard of beauty to compete with.

What? Firstly, the gorgeous masses? Secondly, Hello there, Author! Nice of your to take time to speak to the audience directly about how the media-promoted ideas of beauty are bad. Thirdly, Dawn knows she's being unfair and she choses to be unfair because it's easier.

Dawn kind of sucks.

And it's all like that. The dialogue is clunky, you're never left in any doubt of someone's motivations because it's all explained to you and, just in case you forgot, the text will remind you of Dawn's anguish. Again.

"So you think... a vampire... killed your parents?"

"The police reports said it was some raging psycho who belonged in the mental ward. But they didn't see the guy, his bared teeth, the inhumanity of him. That's why I decided that they were full of crap and I was going to work my way around the system."

[...]

His clear-cut reminder of a parent's death weighed her to the spot. But it also linked her to him, because they were both struggling to shed a child's misery and loss.

It's just-- the book is bad, and it's not even bad the way a lot of paranormal romantic (or erotic) books are, because the characters are so damn cliché, although that is part of it. It's bad because it's badly written, because the book should have had an editor go through it and point out that the readers aren't stupid, that dialogue should sound natural and that knowing when it's the character thinking instead of the author is pretty damn important.

Aside from that, the plot is predictable, which isn't that surprising, but does mean that it's even less worth fighting through the prose....more

I wanted to like this book more than I actually did. The characters were engaging and the storyline kept you turning the pages...but...the emotional imagery was a little too intense-not really akin to how real people emote in my humble opinion. You get the feeling that the writer is a bit inexperienced in how to convey real human feelings and goes a bit overboard in the explanations. I can't count how many times the lead character was smacked/hit/capow-ed in the chest with some sort of gut wrencI wanted to like this book more than I actually did. The characters were engaging and the storyline kept you turning the pages...but...the emotional imagery was a little too intense-not really akin to how real people emote in my humble opinion. You get the feeling that the writer is a bit inexperienced in how to convey real human feelings and goes a bit overboard in the explanations. I can't count how many times the lead character was smacked/hit/capow-ed in the chest with some sort of gut wrenching emotion that was debilitating in its impact. Plus I really dislike when writers leave all sorts of dangling plots at the end-I get it if you are already an established author and the series has been ongoing for awhile now, but on your first novel? Pretty presumptous. However, I am an optimist, so I have the second in the series on hold. Mostly out of frustration and an acute case of OCD, though......more

Meet our heroine Dawn Madison; a Hollywood stuntwoman who is also a nymphomaniac! It would be funny if it wasn't so stupid. She starts whining because she doesn't have time to get laid.It took me two tries to read this book, and this second time where I finally forced myself to finish it, I still don't like it. It's boring, and extremely confusingly written (maybe I'm just too dumb to follow the plot, idk). Not only that, NOTHING HAPPENS! I'm not even kidding! This book's plot could have been wrMeet our heroine Dawn Madison; a Hollywood stuntwoman who is also a nymphomaniac! It would be funny if it wasn't so stupid. She starts whining because she doesn't have time to get laid.It took me two tries to read this book, and this second time where I finally forced myself to finish it, I still don't like it. It's boring, and extremely confusingly written (maybe I'm just too dumb to follow the plot, idk). Not only that, NOTHING HAPPENS! I'm not even kidding! This book's plot could have been written out in about 50 pages instead of 336. And if that wasn't enough, nothing is resolved in this book. I suppose I understand why it took 6 books to write out this story, if there is as little plot in the others. I won't be reading the next book, and I can't believe I actually payed money for this thing. Now excuse me while I find something that'll hold my interest a bit more....more

I was hooked in the very beginning of this book, but after the main character's first meeting with The Voice, I lost interest. I'm not quite sure why. Maybe it's because I wanted more interactions with The Voice and the book went a different direction? Possibly the first fight scene went on way too freaking long? Or... oh, no. I know what really made me stop reading. It's a personal pet peeve of mine. We switched to the bad guy's POV. That's when I set the book aside and grabbed another.

I don'tI was hooked in the very beginning of this book, but after the main character's first meeting with The Voice, I lost interest. I'm not quite sure why. Maybe it's because I wanted more interactions with The Voice and the book went a different direction? Possibly the first fight scene went on way too freaking long? Or... oh, no. I know what really made me stop reading. It's a personal pet peeve of mine. We switched to the bad guy's POV. That's when I set the book aside and grabbed another.

I don't know why it bothers me to switch to the bad guy's POV so much. There are very, very few books in which I like it when this happens. In fact, I can't think of even one right now. So many writers do this, though, so I try to get past it. I just couldn't with this book. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for an urban fantasy. *shrug* ...more

This book was good it made me want to read the next book immediately to get the answers to questions but the one bad thing was that i did not like the chapters where it went yo the bad guys perspective mainly because it made me realize sonething that i think would have been better as a surprise.

Positives:*Dawn is a stuntwoman who comes home to help find her father. She is tough and finds out she has special abilities that she shares with her father.*Kiko is one of my fav. characters. He adds the comic relief and also great insight with his psychic ability. *Thanks to Breisi they have some awesome equipment when it comes to hunting down the vampires. *Great action, enough in the relationship/romance department, and some comic relief.

Negatives:*Didn't really enjVampire and Demon series!

Positives:*Dawn is a stuntwoman who comes home to help find her father. She is tough and finds out she has special abilities that she shares with her father.*Kiko is one of my fav. characters. He adds the comic relief and also great insight with his psychic ability. *Thanks to Breisi they have some awesome equipment when it comes to hunting down the vampires. *Great action, enough in the relationship/romance department, and some comic relief.

Negatives:*Didn't really enjoy the intimancy with The Voice and Dawn. I would have rather he just shown himself then use his pyschic ability. *Wish Dawn would stop yelling at her mother and trying to show her she is better. That part was kind of confusing for me....more

Chris Marie Green, former school teacher turned full-time writer, gets out of the office by taking long trips to places such as Japan, Italy, and New Orleans. When she’s not causing international incidents, she enjoys yoga, movie-going and dabbling in firsthand research such as fencing, Krav Maga and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. She also writes under the name Crystal Green and Christine Cody